Question
I have a run of early 20th century classical music programs to list. I used to know where to list them but Ebay has just played with the categories again.
Whilst this auction is not typical of what I have, it is an interesting example of what is affected by the changes, - as you can tell it failed under the old category system:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...34542 43&rd=1
so, anyone who wants to take the time to look at the category structure... where would you list that program if you were listing it today?????
I will comment further later, Kevin
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Productivity? Why waste time on that, when I can waste time trying to adjust to the latest well researched Ebay enhancements.
Answer
If it helps this is the expanded list of Entertainment Memorabilia categories.
If you were browsing for the tour programmes of classical violinists and pianists or Opera singers of the early twentieth century (looking for a range - not a specific artist), which category (or categories) would you browse?
Kevin
Answer
If they keep up with this kind of stuff, there won't be any need FOR a search engine......
.....every freakin' individual ITEM will be its own category!!!
I was planning on listing some more of the vintage TV & movie promo photos and press kits yet this week......thank goodness I only had a couple to make changes to in the store!
Man what a cluster~frock they are turning the memorabilia cats into!!!
Answer
Except that some idiot buyers will probably look for a band like "The Darkness" under D instead of the much more appropriate T, I don't really care if they have a seperate category for every single item on the site. However, what they have done here verges yet again on making scarcities and oddities unfindable on the site.
From memory, the music memorabilia categories used to have seperate categories for classical, opera and pop music. However they were set up, I always found it easy to list old tour programs appropriately and sometimes very profitably, even when no other items for the artist were listed on Ebay (thus making it less likely to be searched for). Now the 1927 Paderewski program I have sitting in front of me, goes into the category at the tail end of those other classical performers: Pantera, Paul Simon, Paula Abdul, Pearl Jam, Phish, Pink Floyd, Poison, Police and Prince.
What is being overlooked here though, in my opinion, (and someone will be along shortly to point out that I have not done the research into this that Ebay has) is that those who are looking for specific artists are as likely to search for the artist specifically. Someone with a broad collection of operatic or classical music memorabillia, not looking for a specific artist, but a specific genre, now has to trawl through 26 "other" categories containing ALL genres of musicians in order to hopefully find what was previously seperated into a somewhat browsable format.
I am sure this is good for the marketplace, however I now need to decide where and how I shall sell these programs. My fault for not listing them weeks ago when there were categories that I wrongly thought were appropriate.
Kevin (another lost listing day)
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Does anyone browse any more?
Heck, use Ethical's category changer tool, and just have them rotate around for a week or so!
Categories come and go. Sales continue.
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G'day Larruone,
Where do you rotate them? There are no relevant categories anymore. They changed the nature of the category system, so that it is not viable to browse.
It is okay if the item is going to be searched for - but the keyword on a long deceased performer (their name) who is relevant to a collector if they SEE it, but is not searched for, is now unfindable since there are 26 categories with only a sprinkling of relevant material.
Does anyone browse any more?
I use viewtracker. Some items are mostly searched for, particularly those that have "hot" keywords, but other items get a good 80% of hits from browsing. Much of the early bidding seems to come from browsers, and there are times when the item is found browsing, and actually prompts a search (ie: a short while after finding it when browsing the category, the same person comes back through a search of the key word). There is also quite a bit of searching done within specific categories. I know that most people dissagree with me, but a sensible category structure is an important tool for eBay. The stupid thing is that they have restructured the music memorabilia categories into the stuff that can be searched for, while removing the ability to browse what will interest broader collectors. A person looking for obscurities that they will not think/know to search for will now have a much harder time finding items to bid on, because instead of single genre categories to browse there are 26 categories for artist initials to browse, containing all the genres that used to be seperated.
Personally, I browse photograph categories sometimes to bid, (and the ephemera categories within Australia only) because I know that searching key words will overlook stuff that will interest me, and I can find it by browsing. I do mostly use the search though.
Kevin
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Well, I was trying to search "classical program" under completed auctions, and came up with this one that apparently has NO CATEOGORY!
no category auction listing
What am I missing here?
I thought it was impossible to list without a category!
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G'day Linda,
That was what I also alluded to with the one that I linked to above. They have just replaced the genre type categories with initials to names categories, so the old categories no longer exist (and those auctions from the old categories are still showing up).
I guess that Paderewski goes under P:Other and then I get the warning that I should not list under "other" categories and should find an appropriate category (and that one got old the first time it happened).....
I suspect that I just shouldn't be on Ebay, Kevin
Answer
It appears that I am not the only person on eBay bothered by this change:
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.js...adID=200068759
First response:
malibran (2170 ) View Listings | Report Apr-12-05 11:39 PDT 1 of 36
The elimination of the classical music categories in memorabilia, including autographs is a disaster for the classical music collectors and sellers on eBay. Why was this change made? There is not any appropriate place to list or search without those categories!
"Malibran"
The opening "pink" post partly describes the changes:
Making the first category level alphabetized [A - Z]. Using this structure, buyers will be able to search based on the artist’s first name. Making this change eliminates genre as the first category level.
. Listing the name of major artists under each alpha letter. For example, if a buyer clicks on the letter ‘A’, they will find “ABBA,” “AC/DC,” “Aerosmith,” etc. Under the letter B, buyers will find “Beatles,” “Britney Spears” and more.
. Adding “Other” to each letter. Having an “Other A,” “Other S”, etc. serves to eliminate the buying and selling challenges associated with large “Other” categories, as is the case today under the genre structure.
This makes the rather odd assumption that those who browse are only looking for specific artists, and that no one has a more "general" interest when browsing - I tend to browse when I am looking for things that may be missed by doing a search, or looking for things that I may not have thought to search for.
The third "pink" post says:
Music Memorabilia Community,
Thanks to all of you for the thoughtful feedback recently posted. Your suggestions for solutions are exactly what is needed to evaluate "next steps" in the category.
I am actively checking the boards over the next few days. Please note that my responses will be fairly general because I'm in "information gathering" stage about the impact of the Music Memorabilia category changes.
Nonetheless, I am listening and watching, and appreciate the community looking at this as an opportunity to have a voice in improving the category.
Scott
So, just like the 6 month destruction of the British photographic market (now fairly well mended), eBay has pulled the rug out from under buyers and sellers, and is considering how they can fix it some time in the future.
Whilst this does not look like eBay has considered the needs of sellers as they completely replaced a category system, this is exactly in accordance with Meg's / eBay's policy as quoted here:
"This is a completely new business, so there's only so much analysis you can do," she says. "It's better to put something out there and see the reaction and fix it on the fly. You could spend six months getting it perfect in the lab or six days in the lab, and we're better off spending six days, putting it out there, getting feedback and then evolving it.
"You can't predict what's going to happen," Whitman continues. "It's another way of saying 'perfect' is the enemy of 'good enough.' "
The question remains, though, is this really "good enough"?
Kevin
Answer
Sigh. Wouldn'tcha know it? I was just getting ready to list some classical memorabilia for the first time. I've never listed any music items before (save a few of DD's cast-off CDs) but I'd been sure there had to be a category for old programs, etc.
Gwerf.
The "pink" response to Malibran's post is horrendous. Is it possible that an eBay employee thinks "classical" means Moody Blues or Buddy Holly?
<<shudder>>